I just bought a 2006 MCS with the H/K system. It does not work when you fade it to the front - it's goes silent. It also seems like the right front speaker does not play....

Before I tear into this thing - are there any known issues? Is the system good? Should I fix or just rip it all out?

 

The first thing to determine is whether the problem is the speaker or the HK amp. Swap the left and right side speakers and see if the problem moves to the other side. If the right side still doesn't play, the HK amp probably failed (which is not unusual) and needs to be repaired or replaced.

 

HK amp failures are common and you'll find many discussions about .....

many folks replace with an eBay used unit to solve the problems

I'm not into the sound world at all (or ICE as the Brit crowd calls it) but from what I understand the HK system has all kinds of 'uniquenesses' which make working on it fun ....

 

Yeah, I'm tempted to pull the head unit and replace the amp as well. I need to understand what those unique HK 'features' are before I go down that path and find out the hard way...

 

Luckily, I've not had any problems with my system. I think this is a great sounding system; if I had a problem with mine, I would not go the aftermarket route, I would source whatever OEM parts I needed to get it working again. I see these amps and other parts online for really good prices. Good luck getting it up and running again.

 

I need to understand what those unique HK 'features' are before I go down that path and find out the hard way...


again not an ICE guy but from what I recall .....

for one, the speakers are a different impedance than normal ....

aren't most speakers 8 ohms, but the hk's are 4 ......

so you either got to match the 'odd' or replace everything ..... or know how to match things up .....

 

Opportunity knocks, HK sucks. Remove and replace. Sadly I can't pull the head unit on a 2014 as things are integrated into it. But adding a real amp and good speakers is a win. In your case the sky is the limit.

 

Yeah, I spent all morning reading about it. Starting over is better for me. I'm going to replace the HU - I'm considering a motorized touch screen unit, 5-channel amp, passive components up front, cheap 6x9's in the rear for mid-bass, and a nice 8" sub in a small box in the trunk... It adds up quick though cost wise :(

 

option I used with my 79 ....

get a really loud exhaust and drive with the windows open

 

Nearly all automotive speakers are 4 ohm, while home audio speakers are typical 8 ohm. Speaker impediment is never a single figure as it is a complex function of frequency, so these are just the "nominal" figures.

 

The HK speakers are actually 2 ohm impedance. They also have no crossovers — the HK amp applies DSP active crossover and frequency response correction tailored for each speaker. The bottom line is that HK is incompatible with aftermarket components. You cannot separately swap out HK amp or speakers for aftermarket; they all need to be replaced together.

 

Since your system is currently not working, is it correct to assume that you've not heard what a functioning H/K system sounds like with a good source, not radio. I'm a bit of an audiophile, have tons of $$$ invested in my home system, (Magnepan/Classe). The STOCK H/K system, IMO sounds better than what I've heard in aftermarket attempts to replace the H/K system in Mini's. Sure, you can get a system with a 100 inch sub, that can be heard in the next state, or you can source a used system that I've seen sell many time here in this forum for $200-$300. Everyone talks badly about things when they go bad and on a Mini, there are tons of things that go bad
The H/K system, is very neutral with a very nice punch when needed. Anything with more power will just make the car rattle, unless that's what you're going for....

 

Thanks. I don't have HK as I never order the OEM sellup audio system. I will opt for no head unit, and even better, no speakers except the wiring prep as the majority of OE audio is crap compared to what you can get aftermarket.

If the HK speakers are 2 ohm, I see no reason why 4 ohm speakers would not work. 2 ohm speaker does not necessarily 1/2 the impedance of a 4 ohm speaker as the impedance is not a simple DC resistance.

 

Aftermarket 4 ohm speakers will "work", they just won't sound good. HK knows the frequency response and rolloff of their speakers, and the HK amp applies corrections in DSP (equalization, etc) separately for each channel. If you install an aftermarket speaker, it will be receiving a signal that was equalized for a different speaker. Maybe you can get lucky and find a speaker that has similar response to the HK speaker, but probably not. This allows HK to make speakers that don't have flat response, because they can fix it with a compensating signal from the HK amp.

 

This strikes me as an odd statement. You say the system 'does not work when you fade it to the front'. Then you say the the right front speaker does not play which kind of leads me to believe the left front works.

So do both the left and right front not operate or does the left front work and right front doesn't?

 

I added this to my build thread, but I might as well update this thread as well...

Finally, since my HK amp was missing and the wiring was hacked up, I decided to install a MS-8. This sweet box is a digital signal processor the can take the two channel input directly from the head unit and turn it into 8 channels. This allowed me to keep all of my factory equipment, but control time alignment, crossover points, etc. It sounds phenomenal. I haven't seen anyone else do this before, so heads up - this is a great alternative to the stock amp.

How it started
They just connected two channels from the HU to the 8 channels of speakers. Soooo bad.
Figuring out the wiring and labeling
All labeled and organized.
Stripping, twisting, soldering, and shrinking
Testing. Found out the front left door and the rear left speaker have the same color wires!! Arrrgh.
All tested, wired, and mounted up!